We were on our way to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The place sounded incredible — acres of exhibits on American history and the development of the automobile, plus a factory tour. We were looking forward to our visit as we drove down the highway on a beautiful summer day. Fortunately, the traffic was light, because the car’s warning light suddenly blinked on and the car lost power. Yes, it was in gear. But it wouldn’t go faster than about 10 miles per hour. We were able to creep down the highway to the exit, and (yea!) through a green light and into the gas station situated fortuitously close to the exit. That was the good news. The bad news? The car was dead as a door nail and we weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Our visit to the Henry Ford Museum was definitely in jeopardy.
The rental car company was happy to send us a replacement, but of course we’d have to wait a couple of hours for it to arrive. Still, that was better than the alternative — motoring along the highway slower than a jaywalker. Yep, there we were, at the birthplace of the American automobile, with a broken down American automobile.
Oh by the way, did I mention we were driving a Ford?
Time for plan B.
Once the new car arrived, we changed course and headed directly for Detroit. Dearborn will have to wait for another day. Maybe we’ll visit by train someday. Or maybe by jet-pack. Anything but automobile.
We were curious to learn more about the man who designed our lousy rental car, I mean, the man who revolutionized transportation and manufacturing. So we headed for the site of Ford’s Model T factory, built in 1904. Fascinating place. Henry Ford started two other car companies before reaching success here in Detroit. Even then, fires were disastrous back then, and the first factory on the site suffered a terrible fire that destroyed the plans for the vehicles. Workers pushed a car out of a second-story window to save it. The second factory was built with state-of-the-art fire prevention techniques, like sliding doors to seal off sections of the building, and three layers of flooring.
Our tour guide was astounding. She knew every detail about the factory, plus most details about every Ford car ever built. I love guides like her — their passion brings the topic to life. If only I knew everything about something. Does chocolate count?
Another guide at the factory spotted our teen driver and shared some insights into driving safely. He told us that Henry Ford’s business manager gave his 14-year-old son a Model T, but the kid drove too fast and was killed in an accident. The guide reminded us all that at high speeds, the rules of physics don’t apply; you’re not driving the car, the car is driving you. After those sobering thoughts, we gingerly climbed back into our rental car and drove (slowly and carefully) around the city.
We saw some evidence of urban decay in Detroit, but I’d argue that every major city has its eyesores.
We also saw some billboards encouraging residents to patronize local businesses. We passed several places we’d have loved to explore — if only we hadn’t spent most of our time in Michigan hanging out at a gas station.
Our travels in Michigan (when we were actually traveling) took us along interstates 94 and 74 and Michigan route 23. We spent the night in Ann Arbor, where some of the locals encouraged us to visit the Upper Peninsula, land of the “yoopers”. We also drove around Belle Island Park, the country’s largest island park, located off the shores of Detroit in the Detroit river. Several different families were holding reunions in the park. These looked incredibly fun. Huge groups of people congregated around smoking barbecues and picnic tables, eating and playing games. The different groups were distinguished by colorful t-shirts announcing each family’s name. Wonder if we’ll wear those in Toledo next summer.
We also saw this sign along the way, which reminded me of a prison break. Apparently, some people are digging their way into Canada. I guess you can try anything — just don’t count on driving over the border. Those American automobiles can’t always be trusted to keep you moving.
45: Michigan
The Ford logo